Autumn

Energetically, August 7 marks the “beginning of Autumn” and we transition from summer to autumn a month later, on September 7. These are the Solar Terms that the Chinese once and still to some extent follow. Moving through the seasons is “baked into” cultural practices, festivals, and the diet.

Autumn begins long before the leaves turn colours and treat us to a visual story through auburn and gold. This landscape reflects the natural cycles of nature, and the nature within us.

After the Summer Solstice, when energy peaked in its yangness, it’s been moving towards the deepest yin of Winter Solstice. The shedding of the leaves reflects this change.

In eastern philosophy, the season of Autumn is the Air or Metal element. The corresponding meridians, energies, and organ function energies are Lungs and Large Intestine. In the 24-hour organ clock, Lung energy begins at 3AM, peaking at 4AM, before Large Intestine energy begins at 5AM. These energies relate to the “I Am” and “I Have” aspects of our being. When the Lung and Large Intestine Function Energies are in harmony, we get healthy and happy deep skin. We are comfortable with who we are, in our skin, and the movement of having and not having and having.

The related emotion and attitude of Autumn and Lungs / Large Intestine energy is sadness.  Any unprocessed grief may rise to the surface to be addressed. I don’t like to use the word “process” – it’s a process, it’s non-linear process during which we re-integrate the parts of us that we left behind in shock, in deep grief, in history.

The events of post-2020 and the ones unfolding now call to us to release our old beliefs as well as unprocessed sadness which can cause us to lose spiritual strength and resilience.

We are in times of great change, when a new world is in the making.

First we let go, release attachments to the comfort and the known that we felt we needed to feel and be safe.

I don’t believe we need to do something that scares us every day as some coaches and motivational influencers advise. I do believe that it’s important not to let our fears stop us from being who we are and to understand where those fears come from.

Nourish our Late Summer Energies